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Be sure as to why you are staying here. You should stay here for the view - it is beyond comparison. We had a room on the second floor above the pool. We overlooked Sugar Mountain and could see Christ The Redeemer. The view was breathtaking. We negotiated a lower rate by emailing the hotel directly. It is "under renovation" but it appears to have been this way for quite awhile. The vision is there, but the effort to get it done appears to be lacking. Do not stay here for the service ( the receptionist did not speak English, we asked for a card for the hotel to give a taxi driver - they did not have one, I finally used google translate to ask the teenage receptionist for water when we checked in). It is difficult to get to a restaurant if you are not used to walking. We walked almost 2 miles downhill and ate at an OK bar for dinner - thankfully we could find a taxi in the busy square and point uphill until we got back to our hotel. YOU MUST book their driver to pick you up at the airport. I have no clue how a taxi could find this place. We booked this same driver - using google translate - for the afternoon we arrived to drive us around. His name was Juvenal. When he wanted to speak to us he would call his daughter to translate. He took us for a lunch at a small restaurant, drive us to Corcovado - explained the best way to get to the top - take the vans with sign language, waited for us to return and dropped us back at Rio 180. We were gone over 4 hours and he charged $50 USD for the both of us. What service! Also - beware you will have a hard time getting taxi service to pick you up at the hotel. We pre-booked Juvenal to take us the airport and he was waiting for us early. The other guest had that was going to the regional airport had been waiting for over an hour for the taxi they called for him and was risking missing his flight. We told him to ask Juvenal to drop him off on the way to our airport and he agreed. We hope he made his flight! This place is worth a one night stay for the view. Do not use it as a base - use it for the view and travel smart. Book your transport ahead, know what you are getting and enjoy the view!

Room Tip: Be certain to get a room with a view - otherwise do not stay here.

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Stayed: July 2012, travelled as a couple

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Ask Karen U about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

My boyfriend and I were in a pinch to find a hotel during Rio 20. We found availability in 1 of the 8 available rooms on booking.com. We checked out the website, rooms looked great and decided to book.

When we arrived, we had to buzz a door bell to be let in. Since the neighborhood is a little sketchy, that made us nervous, but the nearby favela ended up not being that big of a deal.... Staff was nice, but I would not stay here again. We paid over 300 USD a night here for the Pao de acucar room and I do not think that was a good value at all. Here is why:- t.v. Was not in the room when we arrived- no safes in room- no toiletries besides hand soap provided- no closets or drawers provided- sheets and towels were damp- no lunch or dinner served- breakfast consisted of coffee, juice, fruit, bread, and cheese / ham. No choice of hot items or even cereal, yogurt, or eggs- hot water availability was inconsistent ( e.g. We had to ask to have the hot water turned on to take showers)- could not get a wi- FI connection from our room or the breakfast area. Only place we could get it was in reception. - room did not look like picture on website

There are many other options to stay in Rio for the money we spent. Hopefully you will have better luck and not have to book a hotel during a huge, global, convention!

Stayed: June 2012, travelled as a couple

Ask JL1180 about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

We were so disappointed seing the room by comparison to what we saw on the internet that we almost took a taxi and left immediately. Moreover the complete lack of service (apart from the wonderful receptionist) made us regreat our choice instantaneously. This is a shame because the location and the view are exceptionnal, but so far this belongs more to the hostal category than anything else. We once thought our room was the ugliest but we had the chance to see other ones and apparently ours was not the worst (a mixture of very bad taste and bad maintenance). No eating facilities available, you have to wait more than half an hour for a taxi if you want to go to the restaurant, not even shampooo and soap available in the rooms, dirty swimming pool, etc...Please be honest on your site and show your clients the reality of your place so that at least they do not get too disppointed...

Stayed: February 2012, travelled as a couple

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Ask GobTrotEur about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Filippo_Bulgarini, Gerente at The Villa, responded to this reviewResponded 7 February 2013

Dear Guest,

Thank you very much for your review of Rio180° Boutique Hotel.We want to apologize for all the inconveniences and problems you experienced at the Rio180° Boutique Hotel.We assure you that we introduced measures to improve our service quality and standards.We really hope you will come back to the Rio180° Boutique Hotel, to see and enjoy our renovation.

For that reason, we are delighted to offer you a one-day stay at the Rio180° Boutique Hotel for free!

Please, just contact our front desk to reserve your stay.

Best Regards,

Filippo Bulgarini d'ElciOperations Manager - Rio180° Boutique Hotel

Report response as inappropriateThank you. We appreciate your input.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC

I have been coming and going to Rio for 5 years and stayed here for two days March 20-22nd to pass a gap in a couple of apartment rentals. The view from the veranda on the top floor truely is spectacular and arguably the best in Rio. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The hotel when new might have been more attractive, but by now most rooms (saw several) are very worn. In suite Arpoador, the Jacuzzi was broke, the towel handle broken off the wall, hot and cold water could not be regulated, stains from water leaks above decorated the wall and ceiling and there is no door to the bathroom.The pool was filthy (supposedly the pump was broken) and unusable, and the lovely veranda has no working outside lights. Staff was typically Brazilian, very friendly, but not attentive. Breakfast was very basic. At 300 USD/night, I believe even in Rio, expensive as it is, one can expect better. Better to pay a bit more and stay at Tereze, the Cesar Park, or CP!

Room Tip: If you cant kill your curiosity after reading these reviews, stay in Copacabana, cheaper than the ot...

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Stayed: March 2012, travelled on business

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Ask RPG1958 about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Traveling regularly to Rio de Janeiro, I warmly recommend Rio 180 Hotel where I've been staying 2 weeks in March 2012.

Actually, Rio180 is much more than a hotel : it is a real carioca house and lifestyle. Appreciate the paved road climbing up the artistic Santa Teresa hill, take time hanging around and chatting on a bench in the romantic garden of the hotel, discover Bahian food, laze along the nice swimmingpool admiring the Bay of Guanabara, enjoy the view on the Sugar Loaf from your design Hotel Suite, improve your portuguese with fluent english speeking and very welcoming staff.

On my opinion, the main reason to discover Rio 180 Hotel is that you will experience the authentic Rio de Janeiro you've been dreaming of for so long !

See you there!

Guilherme

Stayed: March 2012, travelled on business

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Ask guilhermeParis about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Firstly, we loved the location, set in gorgeous Santa Teresa. The view from the hotel was breathtaking, and the neighborhood is warm and unique. Do note the hotel is roughly five minutes by car from the 'centre' of town, and the iconic tram is not expected to be running again until 2014, so don't expect easy access to any restaurants or services.

This difficulty is worsened by the dislike taxi drivers have of taking fares to the area - reasonably so, as they likely return to the city empty and the streets are hard to navigate. We would get a taxi called by the front desk (which would sometimes involve a 30 min wait) to go out in Rio but when coming back drivers would not take us for less than double the metered rate. None we encountered knew of this hotel either, so be sure to have a map or know how to give directions there!

The rooms themselves we also quite liked, clean and a little quirky. No view from our room ('Copacabana') but you would step outside and it was right there. Gorgeous!

The biggest problem we had though was the staff. They were very friendly but for our first two days the desk was staffed by a young girl who had no English whatsoever. No 'welcome, congratulations on your honeymoon', no help getting wine for the room, no local advice. Worst still we were very hungry on arrival and she directed us to a closed restaurant (after we waited an hour for her to call around and the taxi to show up). Not their fault we have little Portuguese, but more effort could have been made to show us the room's features, or printed information in different languages should have been in the room itself. There were staff with some English later in our stay but by then it was little help.

In sum, do go - I'm glad we did. It was a side of Rio I felt lucky to get to know. But be aware of the potential difficulties with location and communication, particularly if you're not fluent in Portuguese.

Stayed: March 2012

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Ask BeenEverywhereChick about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

It was definitely not a typical hotel eperience, but for our family it was the most magical hotel we've ever stayed in. It is beautiful in a way that no chain hotel is able to be. The staff is like a friendly family, making you feel at home, greeting you with the warmest smiles and always doing their best to help you out and make you happy. The kitchen staff even cooked some things we requested for our baby daughter since she refused to eat Brazilian food, we had to cook something she was more accustomed to and they were so helpful! The room wasn't big, yet the space in the room was very well planned out to fit a huge jaccuzi and king size bed. I am into unusual interiors and this was perfect for me. A bit of tropical, a bit of european, a bit of modern and a bit of classical. The atmosphere of the place is very special, magical and romantic. We ordered dinner at the hotel a couple times and that was one of the best dinner experiences in my life, the service was friendly, the room was candle-lit and the restaurant has the most beautiful view of the city that the visitors get to enjoy every day. The chef is extraordinary, even if you pick a different hotel, I would still recommend getting a dinner reservation at this restaurant. As for our family, we fell in love with Rio and Rio 180 hotel, so on our next trip we'll definitely stay there again. Of course there are a few drawbacks, for example you would need to mind the taxi expenses that come with that hotel choice, it is in St.Teresa area but takes a while to find. Other than that it was clean, the service was great, nothing to complain about. Oh and we got our room upgraded as a compliment, plus little things like a free Brazilian food dinner or a glass of wine - of course we were more than satisfied! Special thanks to Regina who was extremely nice and helpful and contributed a lot to help make our visit more fun and special!

Stayed: November 2011

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Ask YuliaGR about The Villa

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

Located in the heart of Rio, in the historic and bohemian town of Santa Teresa, The Villa is an 11-room boutique hotel with a hilltop position and a million dollar view! From the hotels main terrace, guests can take in the sweeping vista over the Guanabara Bay and the green hills of Santa Teresa, while enjoying the view of world famous art deco statue Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain. The hotel is only 15 minutes away from the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, the samba clubs of Lapa and the Sambodromo stadium. Described by those in the know as the South American Montmartre and one of Rio's hidden gems, Santa Teresa is packed with local artists, galleries, cafes and some of Rio's best small restaurants....more less

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Also Known As:

Hotel Rio 180

The Villa Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

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